The black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus Fabricus, is a pest of a wide range of horticultural crops. Their univoltine life cycle is complicated and the duration of each stage in natural conditions is poorly understood. A more detailed knowledge of development and survival in relation to temperature may explain many of the conflicting published accounts of O. sulcatus biology.
Our objective was to model temperature-dependent development and survival of each stage of O. sulcatus and to quantify variation in developmental rates within a cohort. Temperature-dependent development and survival of egg, larval, and pupal stages of O. sulcatus were described using data from constant temperatures ranging from 10 – 30 °C. Overall, warmer temperatures (27, 30 °C) caused higher immature mortality than cooler temperatures (10, 15 °C). Pupae were the most tolerant and the larvae were most vulnerable to temperature extremes. Developmental times of O. sulcatus decreased with increasing temperature up to 27 °C in eggs, up to 23 °C in larvae, and up to 30 °C in pupae. Linear and nonlinear development models provided good fit to the data for each stage. Variation in developmental rate for each stage was adequately described by a two-parameter Weibull model. A separate data set from the laboratory and the field in Blacksburg, Virginia was used to validate the development model. Our data will provide a working model to predict developmental times and may explain the occurrence of overlapping stages in the field. This information will aid the development of IPM strategies for O. sulcatus.
Species 1: Coleoptera Curculionidae Otiorhynchus sulcatus (black vine weevil)
Keywords: temperature-dependent development, survival
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